Cutting tools such as knives are used in a variety of applications to cut or otherwise remove material from a workpiece. A cutting tool often has one or more laterally extending, straight or curvilinear cutting edges along which pressure is applied to make a cut. The cutting edge is often defined along the intersection of opposing surfaces that intersect along a line that lies along the cutting edge.
Cutting tools can become dull over time after extended use, and thus it can be desirable to subject a dulled cutting tool to a sharpening operation to restore the cutting edge to a greater level of sharpness. A variety of sharpening systems adapted to carry out a sharpening operation are known in the art, including, but not limited to, grinding wheels, whet stones, abrasive cloths, abrasive belts and sharpening steels.